Month: March 2026

2. Private developer eyes toll-funded Cape Fear Memorial Bridge project

Cierra Noffke/WilmingtonBiz The N. C. Department of Transportation (NCDOT) has received an unsolicited conceptual proposal for the design, build, finance and operation of the Cape Fear Memorial Bridge, funded partially through tolls. According to a notice included in the Wilmington Urban Area Metropolitan Planning Organization (WMPO) agenda for its regular meeting at 3 p.m. March […]

Written by on March 23, 2026

4. ‘Wandering officers’ widespread across NC police agencies

Lucas Thomae/Carolina Public Press In 2015, Mark Oakley, then an officer with the Roanoke Rapids Police Department, slammed a detainee at the Halifax County jail to the ground, then “tased him” while the man was “in handcuffs and posed no threat,” according to a civil lawsuit later filed against Oakley. An officer who is found […]

Written by on March 23, 2026

5. How one N.C. charter school on the brink of failure made a massive comeback

Heidi Perez-Moreno/CityView The state board that oversees charter schools in North Carolina had so many concerns about the Paul R. Brown Leadership Academy in 2022 that it considered closing the Bladen County school. The academy had received a failing grade the previous school year from the state’s Department of Public Instruction and did not meet […]

Written by on March 23, 2026

6. Wake County Libraries launch program aimed at making books accessible to those with disabilities

Sharryse Piggott/WUNC News The State Library of North Carolina is now in a partnership with Wake County Libraries aimed at bridging the gap to make reading books more accessible to people with disabilities. “This partnership helps to ensure that a person’s physical condition or location never limits opportunities for lifelong learning,” said Safiyah Jackson, the […]

Written by on March 23, 2026

7. FEMA 2.0 — what the leaked draft of the FEMA Review Council report really means

Cory Vaillancourt/Smoky Mountain News   A leaked draft of the FEMA Review Council’s final report on reform of the disaster response agency appears to shift considerable burden onto states, local governments, tribes and territories (SLTTs) while slashing the agency’s workforce by 50%, positioning federal response in the rear and largely ignoring requests to send recovery […]

Written by on March 23, 2026

8 Target planned for Northgate Mall site as long-vacant property eyes revival

Akilah Davis/WTVD News For nearly six years, Northgate Mall in Durham has sat empty. Now, plans for retail giant Target to move in could signal a new chapter for the long-vacant property. “It would be nice for another shopping center to come big time,” said Melinda Wilkins, who lives just across Guess Road and has […]

Written by on March 23, 2026

9. DOT cancels I-77 tour over ‘credible security concerns’; activists said they just wanted to participate

Steve Harrison/WFAE Radio The North Carolina Department of Transportation has cancelled a tour of the neighborhoods near the controversial Interstate 77 express toll lane project, citing what it says are credible security concerns. DOT secretary Daniel Johnson was supposed to tour impacted neighborhoods near center city with community leaders and elected officials Tuesday. It’s part […]

Written by on March 23, 2026

10. Hicks helps lead UNCP’s first cybersecurity graduates

Mark Locklear/The Robesonian When Phillip Hicks arrived at UNC Pembroke as a freshman, the university’s cybersecurity program was still in its trial phase. This May, the Red Springs native will help make history as one of the first graduates of UNCP’s standalone Bachelor of Science in Cybersecurity program. For Hicks, the journey to cyber sleuthing […]

Written by on March 23, 2026

Justices allow class-action challenge to Raleigh fee

tate Supreme Court justices have rejected Raleigh’s bid to avoid a class-action lawsuit from real-estate developers who want compensation for what they allege was an illegal water and sewer fee. Speaking for a 6-0 court, Justice Anita Earls rejected the city’s contention that the case didn’t merit class-action status because developers have already passed along […]

Written by on March 23, 2026

1. NC lawmaker calls virtual charter expansion ‘educational malpractice’

Ahmed Jallow/NC Newsline North Carolina Sen. Jay Chaudhuri, a Wake County Democrat, called the state’s expansion of virtual charter schools “educational malpractice” and said it cheats both students and taxpayers. “How on earth are you allowing parents to send their kids to virtual charter schools that have consistently received a D as far as annual […]

Written by on March 22, 2026

2. County leaders support major water project

Paul B. Johnson/The High Point Enterprise Leaders of Guilford County are supporting a master plan for a long-term regional project involving the Randleman Regional Reservoir. The Guilford County Board of Commissioners was scheduled Thursday night to approve a resolution for the Piedmont Triad Regional Water Authority as the agency that operates the reservoir examines ways […]

Written by on March 22, 2026

4. ‘Fair ball’: Discussions begin on NHCS building reduction, potential schools shuttering in next decade

Brenna Flanagan/Port City Daily   The New Hanover County Board of Education has taken an official step toward addressing its facility needs in the face of declining enrollment, after months of pondering whether it should reduce overhead. The board voted unanimously to direct Superintendent Chris Barnes to put together a 10-year building sustainability plan. The […]

Written by on March 22, 2026

5. As sports betting booms in North Carolina, so do gambling problems

Michelle Crouch/The Charlotte Ledger & NC Health News Two years after North Carolina legalized mobile sports betting, counselors say they are seeing the fallout: drained bank accounts, strained relationships and young people — especially young men — spiraling into anxiety and depression after losing more than they can afford. Calls to the state’s problem gambling […]

Written by on March 22, 2026